Western Australia

This is the blue hour shot that I promised, taken once again from the same vantage point in King's Park. I regretted not being able to attend the skyworks in Perth.

View it in large: farm5.static.flickr.com/4068/4310837673_f5619554a8_b.jpg

5 exp digital blending and 5 exp digitally blended photos stitched into a panorama, all created in Photoshop CS3.

The parking lot at the bus station in downtown Perth, WA has some colourful pillars!

... captured at sunset, near Bunbury, Western Australia

.... in Bunbury, WA

Western Australia.

.... in Bunbury, WA. Captured with a 50 year old manual focus lens

Busselton Jetty is the longest timber-piled jetty in the southern hemisphere (and in fact, the world) at 1,841 metres long!

Twilight Cove, Esperance, WA.... panoramic view of perhaps the prettiest beach in Australia!

Conspicuous Beach Panorama - Walpole, WA

Lighthouse at Cape Leeuwin, Western Australia.

These white sand dunes are formed from billions of broken shells along the coast, and blown by the strong westerly winds into the mainland.

Located not far from Esperance, WA... this may be the most beautiful National Park in Oz....

Side lighting at sunset in Big Swamp Reserve, Bunbury, WA

My first shot of the year, taken in King's Park, Western Australia. After tonemapping the HDR, I realised that the photo was a little dull as there was not many bright colours, therefore I decided to convert it to black and white. I will post another blue hour shot.

View it in large: farm5.static.flickr.com/4044/4308768938_a897edb669_b.jpg

3xp HDR tonemapped in photomatrix, 6 tonemapped exposures to stitch into a panorama using photoshop CS4.

Near Narrows bridge South Perth, Western Australia

Must see it in large (press L) or www.flickr.com/photos/jcheaphotography/5803723996/sizes/l...

Something different from my previous few shots of Korea. Today is a public holiday to commemorate the foundation of the Swan River Colony in 1829 (the actual date is the 1st of June, but it is celebrated in the first monday of June), hence I find it fitting to post this shot of the Swan River and Perth city during blue hour. Furthermore, it is also my birthday, which makes it extra special!

Taken last friday (weekdays are better when photographing office building at night as there most probably be lights) in a chilly winter's evening (Winter nights are suppose to be clearer compared to other seasons and blue hour also comes earlier in winter, before people leave their offices). I was quick to forget to cold as I was desperately trying to capture this beautiful view in front of me. I was rubbing my hands as the camera was capturing each exposure and the long shutter speed seemed to take forever. The worst thing with panorama is that you would not know if you captured the perfect shot as the results will only be reviewed after you stitch the exposures together in Photoshop (kinda like film I guess), therefore the more shot you shoot, the better the chances of a good photo.

Prior to 1829, the only European settlement in Western Australia was a British Army outpost at King George Sound (the later site of Albany), established in 1826. Captain James Stirling of the Royal Navy led explorations of the Swan River in 1827. The British Colonial Office in 1828, approved Stirling's recommendation that a colony be established in the area. Stirling was appointed Lieutenant-Governor.(wikipedia)

6 exp, stitched and edited in photoshop. Comments are appreciated!

Western Australia has some of the most beautiful sunsets... this one is at Back Beach in Bunbury, WA with the Marlston Lighthouse seen in the distance... captured with my first, full frame Nikon DSLR... the D700

A few minutes later..... last month I posted a photo of this lone tree at Pelican Point, near Bunbury, WA. This shot was captured a little later in the evening as it became dark... and the purple hues became visible.

Pelican Point sunset pano.... Bunbury, WA

.... in Bunbury, Western Australia

Walpole, Western Australia.

The southern coast of WA has some of the most beautiful beaches (and bluest water) in the world IMHO.... this coastal road is near Esperance, WA.

Nestled in Nambung National Park, near Cervantes, WA are these unusual rock formations known as "The Pinnacles"...

.... near Nanarup, WA, is known for its rounded rock formations along the beach and around the bay....

Joffre Falls Karijini National Park

This spot is a real gem just outside the eco retreat where we were staying. It's a short sharp descent to the...

Fern Pool Dales Gorge

We managed to get to this spot right at the end of the afternoon in fading light with a few swimmers to the right of image....

Narrows Bridge South Perth, Western Australia

After spending almost a week in Perth without any decent sunset, I decided to head for a blue hour cityscape shot. Being my last day in Perth, I was definitely feeling the blues, but there is no better way to end the trip with a good photoshoot (hence the title). This is take two of this location and it is definitely better than the last (which was taken last year on my old 1000D)

View this in Large for all the crisp details: www.flickr.com/photos/jcheaphotography/7787761016/sizes/k...

Some tips for capturing great blue city skyline:

1. Visit on weekdays when the office buildings are still occupied and there will still be plenty lighting.
2. Visit during times of year when the sunset is earlier, before the offices knock-off timing (late autumn, winter or early spring). Winter is also known for clearer skies.
3. Feature reflections from any water bodies or include light trails for the additional interest.
4. If you are shooting this exact bridge, I learnt from my last shoot that the bridge is not very photographer friendly. One should grab as many exposure of it as soon as the lights come on before the sky gets too dark resulting in bridge getting overexposed.
   Last of all, may the good light be with you!

5 exp shot, LEE's 0.6 GND (Soft) and edited in Photoshop

William Bay, Western Australia.

Norfolk pines and a lighthouse.... sunset in Bunbury, WA

This is a "rework" of one of my favourite panos from Western Australia... the Busselton Jetty, which is the longest jetty in Australia at over 1.8 km long. It's also the second longest wooden jetty in the world...

Western Australia.

... another blast from the past captured at Back Beach, Bunbury, Western Australia with some pretty old Nikon equipment....

... is Australia's second largest open pit gold mine, measuring 3.5 kilometres long, 1.5 kilometres wide and over 600 metres deep. Note the miniscule mining vehicles in the pit, which are in fact quite massive!

Wave Rock.... a natural rock formation in Hyden, WA, Australia. If you're interested... more info here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wave_Rock

... near Pemberton, WA

Shot on Kodak Portra 160 Film

.... storm or not, a path to the beach is always exciting to follow!

Shot on a Pentax 645N

... where the stingrays come in to shore to be fed